Fractured Lit Ghost, Fable, and Fairy Tales Prize |$3500| Judged by Dan Chaon

We invite writers to submit to the Fractured Lit Ghost, Fable, and Fairy Tales Prize from  February 15, 2025, to April 13, 2025. 

We’re looking for stories that use flash fiction’s unique use of brevity and lyricism to create new twists on these familiar traditions. We want stories that take a slant approach, that create and illuminate the shadows, that awaken us to new ways of looking at our past and future; stories that scare us with their resonance, their attention to detail, and characters who get in and out of trouble. Don’t be afraid to use parts and pieces of all of these storytelling tropes and traditions in order to Frankenstein something never before seen. This contest produces some of the most imaginative submissions each year, and we look forward to reading your creations!

Guest Judge Dan Chaon will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $3,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. All entries will be considered for publication.

Dan Chaon’s newest book, One of Us, is forthcoming in October 2025. He is the author of seven previous books, including Ill Will, a national bestseller, named one of the ten best books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly. Other works include the short story collection Stay Awake (2012), a finalist for the Story Prize; the New York Times Best Seller Await Your Reply; and Among the Missing, a finalist for the National Book Award. Chaon’s fiction has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize anthologies, and the O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Cleveland.

Here’s what Dan looks for in a flash fiction story:

To me, flash fiction is not just a very short story or a poem in prose. It’s a unique form in its own right. Perhaps the closest corollaries are the koan and the riddle and the joke. Or the stiletto. The best flash fiction pierces you—it’s a stab, a slap, visceral and shocking, though "flash" doesn’t necessarily mean "flashy." It may be as quiet as a barely exhaled final breath.

We hope this prompt inspires you to create something out of your normal routine, that allows you to dip into the wellspring of your creativity, and helps you tell the story only you could tell. 

GUIDELINES:

• Your $20 reading fee allows up to two stories of 1,000 words or fewer each per entry—if submitting two stories, please put them both in a SINGLE document.
• We allow multiple submissions—each set of two flash stories should be a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee.
• Writers from historically marginalized groups will be able to submit for free until we reach our cap of 25 free submissions. No additional fee waivers will be granted.
• Please send flash fiction only—1,000 word count maximum per story.
• We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in Fractured Lit.
• Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed).
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable). In the cover letter, please include content warnings as well, to safeguard our reading staff.
• We only read work in English, though some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• We do not read anonymous submissions. However, shortlisted stories are sent anonymously to the guest judge.
• Unless specifically requested, we do not accept AI-generated work. For this contest, AI-generated work will be automatically disqualified.

The deadline for contest entry is April 13, 2025. We will announce the shortlist within ten to twelve weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when the results are final. 

Some Submittable Hot Tips:

• Please be sure to whitelist/add this address to your contacts, so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com.
• If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: It happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Submittable collects a nonrefundable fee each time. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.

OPTIONAL EDITORIAL FEEDBACK:

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your submission. We will provide a two-page global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. Our aim is to make our comments actionable and encouraging. These letters are written by editors and staff readers of Fractured Lit. Should your story win, no feedback will be offered, and your fee will be refunded.